Contest

The New York Public Library: a 100-year-old labyrinth of towering bookcases, narrow aisles and long hallways. For one night this building is to be the venue for a contest. The rules are simple: seven contestants will enter, only one will leave. With his daughter in his arms, Stephen Swain is plunged into a fight for survival. In this contest, unless you leave as the victor, you do not leave at all.

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Publisher's Summary

Readers all over the world have been cheering about Matthew Reilly's lightning fast adventure thrillers.

Contest, the action-packed extravaganza that launched this international best-selling career, is vintage Reilly at his explosive best.

The New York Public Library. A silent sanctuary of knowledge; a 100-year-old labyrinth of towering bookcases, narrow aisles and long marble hallways. For Doctor Stephen Swain and his daughter, Holly, it is the site of a nightmare. Because for one night this historic building is to be the venue for a contest. A contest in which Swain is to compete - whether he likes it or not.The rules are simple: Seven contestants will enter, only one will leave. With his daughter in his arms, Stephen Swain is plunged into a terrifying fight for survival. The stakes are high, the odds brutal. He can choose to run, to hide or to fight - but if he wants to live, he has to win. For in this contest, unless you leave as the victor, you do not leave at all.

This book is for those who like faced paced, action, sci-fi. I like survival stories, competitions and alien interaction. This one ticks all the boxes. Nicely written, very well performed. Great story that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Hard to put down. The story introduces impossible scenarios and then produces exciting explanations of the hero's way out. This is the first of the Matthew Reilly best sellers, and I'm glad I started with this one first. Have added the rest of his books to my wish list and look forward to reading them all. Makes me proud to be an Aussie like the author.
Great stuff.

Well, this was a precious credit, and about ten hours, thrown away. The kind of first-person shooter plots you would see in one of those made-for-TV movies on the Sci-Fi channel. The author basically made a whole story out of an ancient Roman gladiator fight in the Colliseum. Complete with a monster to eat the survivor, unless the unseen emperors give him a thumbs-up. (I kept visualizing that amorphous orange furry monster that was always chasing Bugs Bunny every time "The Karanadan" appeared.) One of the fighters even has a breastplate supposedly taken from an ancient Roman. Two "contestants" are shape-shifters, supposedly so they can take human form to open door handles (really now, someone with three arms could not?). A couple are bug-like (of course). Throw in a reptile and and an ape, and - voila! - what an original cast. Of course, the hero, who is a doctor that never exerted himself in his life, is able to out-smart and out-fight the best of the universe. Most improbably, he seems to fall right into participating in this "contest" with hardly an objection. Then there's the obligatory oh-so-cute young daughter and the short little alien helpers (think of the Martian in the Bugs Bunny cartoons). It's got everything (except a decent sotry). Glad it's over. I should have known better.

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